Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Its been a long time since ive been to the central coast. May so long that i wasnt able to drink legally when i was last there. Discovered Firestone through their collaboration with Mikkeller on a sour ale, Lil' Mikkel. Going through two different Opus One wine barrels, theyve come up with this slightly sweet and sour ale  with a dry finish. Now that i know that Mikkeller has collaborated with them, im definitely looking for their more mainstream stuff

On a roadtrip from San Diego a buddy and I were really excited to pop in and have a beer. Upon entering we were informed that they had just closed and we had asked if they were still open for merchandise and beer sales (as people were still eating and drinking). The hostess was very nice and said she would ask. We then were approched by a very rude guy that was spouting off at us like he was hating life as he was still wiping down a glass. I could tell he was having a bad day and at this point just wanted to grab a shirt and a sixer. He told us we can buy beer in an over abrasive tone and pointed us towards a door. As we got to the door (not ever have been to this establishment) he comes and YELLS at us and says the beers are available to see through the glass window (as we started to crack the fridge door). Maybe if he wasnt such an overbearing angry person we would have known. I was half way to wanting to punch this guy for his demeanor. He should really learn proper customs and courtesies and how to approach people. Not knocking the establishment just the service of one individual that shouldnt have any exchange of relations with people ever. Left extremely upset, disrespected and beerless. Shouldn't feel unwanted or pushed to leave because one employee is having a bad day especially if the establishment is still open for sales. I can now say on my roadtrip to central California I didn't get to enjoy Firestone and didnt want to after the encounter of one prick employee. Just didn't want to spend my cash here following his presence.

Took the 30min brewery tour. Be sure to call ahead about an hour to put your name down on the tour since it fills up pretty quickly and is limited to 10-12 people. The tour was very informative, and you can get up close to all their equipment. Its great for the average to die-hard beer aficionado. The tasting room can get a little cramped and ordering drinks can take forever. I wish they had a separate register to purchase apparel. Instead of waiting in line, we headed across to the restaurant bar and grabbed a sampler of the beers there. They had all the same beers on tap.